Saini meets PM; discusses growth, welfare schemes
Ayushman: Payments to hospitals in process
Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Sudhir Rajpal, held a detailed meeting with representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Haryana, to address their concerns regarding delayed pay-ments under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. He assured them that the state government is actively releasing payments to empanelled hospitals and remains fully committed to resolving all outstanding issues.
Dr. D.S. Jaspal, former National Vice-President of the IMA Headquarters and former President of the IMA Haryana State Chapter, said he was not at all in support of the call for a strike. He said, 'The government has already initiated the release of pending payments and has assured us that all our concerns will be addressed in a time-bound manner.' Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Electoral Officer, A. Sreenivas said that the Election Commission of India has published the draft electoral roll for Bihar on August 1, 2025, with the aim of ensuring accuracy in the voter list.
Rules for contractual employees
The Haryana Government has notified the Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Rules, 2025. These rules have been notified under sub-section (1) of Section 10 of the Haryana Con-tractual Employees (Security of Service) Act, 2024 (17 of 2024).
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Fast-track courts in Delhi fail to fulfil promise of providing speedy justice
The Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), meant to speed up trials in rape and child sexual abuse cases, are underperforming in Delhi, according to data recently presented in the Lok Sabha by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. The national capital figures in a list of States and Union Territories with delayed trials in FTSCs. In a bid to curb crimes against women and children, the Central government had enacted the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018, introducing stricter provisions. By March that year, 1,66,882 rape and POCSO cases were pending in courts across the country. Concerned by the backlog, in July 2019, the Supreme Court directed that any district with more than 100 pending POCSO cases must have an exclusive special court to handle them. Acting on this direction, the Central government, in August 2019, launched FTSCs exclusively for cases related to rape and child sexual abuse. Under the scheme, each FTSC is tasked with disposing of at least 165 cases annually. As of June 30 this year, 725 FTSCs, including 392 exclusive POCSO courts, are functional in 30 States and Union Territories. Delhi currently has 16 FTSCs, including 11 exclusively for POCSO matters. Since its inception, 6,278 cases have been institutedin these courts, but only 2,718 have been disposedof as of June 30. Toll on survivors Unnecessary delay in the legal process involving rape cases only serves to prolong the victim's suffering, according to jurists. 'The trauma experienced by survivors of sexual assault is profound and enduring, and each moment spent waiting for justice exacerbates their pain,' Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court had observed in a March 2024 ruling related to a rape case. 'This delay in the administration of justice not only interferes with their healing process but also prolongs their journey towards closure and recovery from such a traumatic experience,' Justice Sharma noted. 'Needless delays' Advocate Shilpi Jain, who secured a conviction in just 11 days in a high-profile German tourist rape case in Alwar, Rajasthan, in 2006, says the delays are 'avoidable'. 'Fast-track special courts are not fast at all. These cases rarely have many witnesses. They could conclude in two months if there's seriousness,' Ms. Jain stated. 'As far as rape cases are concerned, there is rarely any eyewitness. Cross-examination is never lengthy. So it should conclude in two months,' she said. 'The spirit behind setting up FTSCs was that these courts must finish the cases much before regular courts. But, they end up becoming the same,' she commented, attributing delays to a lack of seriousness, which has to come from the State. 'Political gimmick' Meanwhile, senior advocate Rebecca John questioned the very premise of FTSCs, calling them a 'political gimmick'. 'I have been a long-term opponent of FTSCs. How many cases can you fast-track? The docket is overflowing with cases. When you fast-track one case, it is at the cost of another case,' the senior advocate told The Hindu. 'It is nothing but a political gimmick which is employed from time to time to satisfy public outrage, but nothing comes out of it. There is no substitute for more infrastructure. You can't pull out the same judges from the same pool and give them a few cases, and say fast track it,' Ms. John underscored.
Deccan Herald
2 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
Drop harsh provisions against teen sexuality
At the heart of the ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act of 2012 is the question of the age of consent for sexual relationships. A strong case has been made to reduce the age of consent from the present 18 to 16 in view of the current realities of adolescent behaviour, social change, and the consequences of the existing law. The law criminalises a sexual relationship between those under 18 in any circumstance. The Act aims to protect children from sexual abuse and prevent crimes like child trafficking. But the law is also used for parental and social control of children and to inhibit their natural growth and punish them for it. .During the hearing, the Central government opposed the lowering of the age and granting of any exception for consensual sexual relationships between adolescents as it would dilute 'the statutory presumption of vulnerability' underlying the POCSO Act. It said that an exception would increase the risks of trafficking and other forms of child abuse. The government has taken a hard patriarchal position in line with its socially conservative thinking on man-woman and family relationships. Senior lawyer Indira Jaisingh, the amicus curiae appointed by the court, has told the court that consensual sexual relationships between adolescents should not be criminalised. She has urged the court to read a close-in-age exception into the law. The Law Commission, in a recent report, said some changes were required in the law, though it did not recommend the lowering of the age of consent. .No law should be rigid, and laws should move with the times. Adolescents now attain puberty earlier than in the past and form romantic and sexual relationships of their choice. It is wrong to curb their freedom and natural development. But such relationships lead to criminal prosecution with boys being sent to jail and girls to shelter homes. Going by the law, a kiss between a boy and a girl can lead to a 10-year jail term for the boy. Parents of girls usually lodge complaints when the boy and the girl elope. The law needs softening--consenting physical relationships should be decriminalised. In 2022, the Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court sought a review of the criteria in view of 'ground realities''. The Justice J S Verma commission report, which led to changes in the POCSO Act, favoured the lowering of the age of consent. The legal age of consent is 16 or lower in many countries. The law needs to be more human and realistic.
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Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Complaint against qcom players: Distributors submit additional info to CCI
Distributors of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) have furnished additional information to the competition regulator to substantiate their allegations against quick-commerce players. According to sources in the know, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the regulatory watchdog, has asked quick-commerce players to submit answers to the allegations. Distributors, through the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), have said Blinkit owns the highest share of the market with 40-45 per cent, followed by Zepto with 25-30 per cent, and Swiggy Instamart with 20-25 per cent, according to documents seen by Business Standard. 'The dominance of these OPs (opposing parties; in this case, it is quick commerce companies), particularly Blinkit, creates a significant market power imbalance, enabling practices that contravene Section 4 of the Act (abuse of dominance) and predatory pricing.' The additional information said quick-commerce companies had arrangements by which they had bundled delivery service with loyalty programmes or subscription models, which encouraged customers to purchase additional services to access discounts or priority delivery. They cited the examples of Swiggy Instamart offering discounts through Swiggy One membership and Zomato giving promotions through its Zomato Gold membership. They also alleged quick-commerce companies had contracts with suppliers, and such deals often included prioritising stock allocations to their dark stores and reducing supplies to traditional trade. They also complained quick-commerce companies used location-based pricing, by which consumers would get different prices for the same product, depending on where they lived. And, according to them, consumers ordering through an iPhone are charged higher than android users. Frequent buyers are allegedly offered lower discounts whereas new customers get higher. Blinkit and Zepto, they said, offered discounts of 35-50 per cent, pricing products below what distributors offer. The AICPDF had filed a complaint with the CCI on behalf of its president, Dhairyashil Patil, against Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart in March. A source had earlier told Business Standard the CCI had asked the distributors' body for details on the relevant market share of each of the quick-commerce players in the FMCG sector. It had also sought clarity on whether the FMCG companies had any exclusive agreement for distribution. The CCI, once it receives a formal complaint, can order an investigation if it is satisfied with the information shared. It also has the option to seek comments from the parties named in the complaint or the informant who has filed the complaint before ordering an investigation. Last year, distributors' body wrote to the Ministry of Finance on fund utilisation and fund accumulation by quick-commerce companies and the deep discounting of goods on their platforms. In October last year, it had first written to the CCI on issues the traditional supply chain was facing owing to the rapid growth of quick commerce. The appointment of these platforms as direct distributors of FMCG items by several companies was one of the complaints. The federation had written to the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India, which asked ecommerce and quick-commerce operators in the food business to ensure a minimum shelf life of 45 days before the expiry of products at the time of delivery to consumers.
